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SippitySup and SEO a Great Recipe.

09 Nov 2009
seo is good for food bloggers

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite blogs? What makes a blog tick? What would you find if you opened that door to the proverbial "backroom"? (not that Sup! knows anything about "backrooms").

Maybe it's not quite as exciting as getting into the Dodgers locker room, or sitting in on Steven Spielberg's development meetings. But certainly it must have crossed your mind.

For one thing, why is it that some blogs get so much traffic and other (really great) blogs sit around unread and unloved?

Well, the answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It's a complex world. But if you are going to play this blog game it's something with which you need to become at least somewhat acquainted.

In my world, I say... if in doubt talk to an expert. Be it broken water mains, crashed hard drives, or pastry cream. There are some things Sup! is just not qualified to handle. In all things SEO my expert is Ishmael Sanchez. He is the tech-dude extrodinaire at SippitySup and he is here today to talk SEO 101. Drum Roll Please...

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Arctic Char with Asian Braised Fennel and Citrus Emulsion

arctic char with braised fennel
By jgreghenry Published September 1, 2009
Prep time: 45
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz oranges, zest only
  • 1 whole stalk lemongrass, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 piece (3" size) ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 0.5 c chopped fennel stems and fronds
  • 0.5 c canola oil
  • 1 head fresh fennel quartered lengthwise
  • 0 water
  • 4 T infused oil, from this recipe
  • 1 T butter
  • 6 whole black peppercorns
  • 18 pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
  • 0.5 t sugar
  • 1 pn salt
  • 1 oz fresh orange juice
  • 1 T lime zest
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1 t ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 oz rice vinegar
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 0 salt and pepper
  • 2 (6 ounce) fillets of artic char (skin on)

Directions

Infused Oil 1. Combine half of orange zest, lemongrass, ginger, chopped fennel, and oil in a small microwave safe bowl 2. Heat the oil to a near boil in the microwave. Approximately 3 minutes. Remove from microwave cover, and steep overnight. Strain and reserve oil the next day. Braised Fennel 1 Trim the fennel bulb and quarter it lengthwise. If the bulb is large you may need to cut it 6 or 8 pieces. Each about 1" across at widest point 2. Place the fennel in a skillet just big enough to hold the fennel in one layer. Barely cover the pieces with water about 3/4 of a cup. Add the 1 tablespoon of the infused oil, butter, peppercorns, pink peppercorn or bay leaf, sugar and a pinch of salt. There is a delicate balance between pan size, vegetable size and cooking times. You want it all to reduce to a glaze about the same time the fennel is cooked to perfection. 3. Bring the liquid and fennel to a boil, then lower the heat and gently simmer about 20 minutes. The liquid should reduce down to a shiny glaze in this amount of time. Try and work the timing out so this happens with out overcooking the fennel. You may have to remove the fennel and continue reducing the glaze to get the timing just right. When finished glazing, remove the fennel from pan and set it aside. You will return the fennel to the pan and gently reheat it when you are ready to plate. Citrus Emulsion 1. For citrus emulsion combine all the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor. Blend on high for 2 minutes. You may substitute any combination of citrus you have handy. Arctic Char 1. Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a sloped sided skillet large enough to hold the fish with out crowding. Bring the oil to near smoking. 2. Then add the rest of the orange zest, orange juice, lime zest & juice, rice wine vinegar, ginger and remaining 3 tablespoons infused oil. Cook undisturbed, skin side down for about 2 minutes. The skin will release itself from the pan when it is ready. Do not attempt to turn it over before that. You will see a nice golden crust forming around the edges. 3. Flip the fillets and cook an additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until almost medium rare (it will continue to cook after it leaves the pan). 4. Drizzle some of the citrus emulsion onto a plate in an attractive manner. Lay one fillet in the center of each plate and top with 2 slices of the reheated braised fennel. 5. You may garnish with any combination of extra pink peppercorns, fresh fennel fronds and fried shallots. Add a drizzle of the infused oil over the top. Serve warm.

Notes:

serves 2